By Ines Garcia (Y11)
I can’t speak for the entirety of my generation, but the first time I realised AI had become deeply intertwined in my life was when I saw videos of talking animated fruits on Instagram reels eating a smaller version of themselves. Looking back, I find this image deeply disturbing, yet at the time, my curiosity was captured. My already fried attention span was drawn in by the uniqueness and absurdity of it all. These videos still circulate online today, alongside far more advanced creations that can now convincingly mimic real human faces and voices. In many cases, viewers are shocked to discover that there is no person behind the screen or voice behind the mike.
Now, aside from the projections of artificial intelligence that us doomscroollers see every day on our social media, AI has taken on a far more serious and influential role in society, particularly in political processes. Its presence in politics is much deeper than I could have ever imagined. I am not referring to Donald Trump’s use of this technology to create odd videos and images depicting himself as a king, Jedi, or pope, but for voter outreach, the analysis of data, and targeted advertising, which shape how campaigns communicate and how voters receive information.
Traditionally, political campaigns rely on volunteers and staff members to engage directly with voters, answering questions and addressing concerns. Now, we are starting to see chatbots being designed to play this role and engage with people. This is certainly a lot quicker and allows for discussion in many different languages and with a lot more specificity. However, it also unsettles many voters, who feel uncomfortable sharing opinions or personal concerns with a system whose sole purpose is to benefit the political party it represents. For some, this blurs the line between genuine conversation and downright manipulation.
AI also demonstrates significant innovation when it comes to the analysis of data. Its endless reach on social media and polls can help parties understand and target groups better, along with where to focus their efforts and what sort of advertising would increase voter turnout. This can help smaller parties with fewer resources have a better chance at enlarging their popularity. Still, many are concerned about this technology looking at their data and personal information, and using it to determine how best to influence the individual.
As these technologies continue to be implemented in political campaigns, many ethical questions surface. Many voters are concerned, and rightfully so, that the presence of these automations in this field will lead to the spread of false information, intentional or otherwise. These worries aren’t baseless. There have been multiple instances where AI chatbots have provided outdated or incorrect political information, as well as cases where generative AI has been used to fabricate images, audio, or videos depicting politicians committing crimes or making damaging statements. This visual propaganda is particularly difficult for viewers to assess and deem fake.
These deepfakes leave a lasting impression on viewers even after they’ve been debunked, serving as an extremely useful and effective tool for spreading ideas and shaping the narrative. We humans are more likely to believe the information we are presented with if it is in a visual form, subconsciously influencing our attitudes regardless of a fact check.
At the same time, AI is being used in more conventional campaign strategies. It can generate fundraising emails that outperform those crafted by human hands, as well as identify weaknesses in a political opponent and refine debate strategies to appeal to undecided voters
In times like these, transparency and trust become extremely important; we deserve to know when it is we are communicating with AI rather than a fellow human. I find it difficult to grasp how deeply rooted artificial intelligence has become in so many aspects of our lives, and as I reach the end of this article, I am aware that my research and personal opinions begin to blur, but maybe that is unavoidable when discussing technology that affects us so directly. Still, I urge people to research this topic further as it is becoming increasingly relevant,
Perhaps the next time you see an uncanny animated animal dancing across your screen, you will pause and consider not just its absurdity, but what it represents about the growing influence of artificial intelligence in our world.
So good!